Machines, and in this instance container treatment machines, broadly serve to fill and/or clean containers, label them, cap them etc. Within the scope of the present invention, the term “container treatment machine” also refers to machines for the mixing of liquids, for the cleaning of containers, for the pasteurizing of products or of containers filled with product, for the emptying and/or cleaning and/or filling and/or capping of metal or plastic drums, for the packing of containers or groups of containers, for the carbonizing of liquids, for the inspection of open or closed containers, and for the stretch blow molding of containers.
Today, filling is usually carried out under sterile conditions, in particular in the food industry, as is described in DE 10 2005 012 507 A1. For this purpose, the prior art disclosure refers by way of example to a bottle store that is encapsulated with a wall. This arrangement is intended to keep warm air, which leaves a blow molding machine, or which is produced by the heat of the bottles, around the bottles. The wall may be constructed, for example, of metal, plastic, glass or a similar material in order to encapsulate the warm air. Heat-insulating material may also be employed at this location.
DE 10 2004 017 737 A1 also discloses a cycling carousel filling machine. In this case too, sterile filling conditions apply and an enclosure is again realized that represents a barrier to bacteria and spores.
Apart from these previously documented container treatment machines that have at least one associated covering, in particular, for the sterile treatment of containers, numerous other container treatment machines exist in practice. These container treatment machines, for aesthetic reasons, for example, are equipped with such coverings, usually made of glass. In the past, the usual approach has been for machine and covering, or the machine element to be enclosed and its associated covering, to always be developed, manufactured and sold together. This approach is costly and prevents standardization.